By Lindsey Parry
When the lights dim, a woman dressed as a bard steps up to the stage, and begins a long, adventurous tale of courage, love and betrayal.
It’s another night of epic storytelling at Rasputin’s Cafe, part of the Stories from the Ages series running Sunday nights through March. But contrary to images of children gathered around a librarian and picture book, this event seems to be attracting audiences of a somewhat older generation.
“Storytelling has so much to give to the adult world,” says storyteller Jan Andrews. “These aren’t like bedtime stories. We don’t tell stories to get people to fall asleep — we want them to wake up.”
Since 1975, the Ottawa Storytellers has been presenting tales from The Iliad and Kalevala at Rasputin’s on Bronson Ave. The tiny cafe often hosts a packed house of about 60 people, representing everyone from university students to senior citizens. Rarely do children attend.
When Andrews, who is a also a children’s writer, stands before the crowd, she keeps her hands to her sides, and then proceeds to speak for at least 45 minutes. She has no notes, no cue cards. Not once does she falter. Not once does she stop to take a gulp of air or a sip of water.
Because storytelling is an ancient ritual and not a very visual one, some people may wonder why anybody would opt for this form of weekend entertainment over a new movie or play.
“I find most television and films are junk,” explains Glebe resident Sheila Sanders, who started attending the series last year. “I would rather read, but it’s even better when that story is being told to you. There’s a special pleasure in being the receiving end of that story.”
Andrews says there is also a big difference between storytelling and live theatre.
“If you’re in a play, the task is to be somebody else,” she says. “When telling a story, you must be yourself but not impose that on the story. So the story is coming through you, and everyone around feels that life.
“Storytelling is one of those things that got lost in the shuffle, but it is part of our tradition,” she adds. “It’s a passing of words and ways . . . it’s a very living time when people come together like this. There’s a sense of life and contact and creativity.”
Dean Verger, Rasputin’s owner and storytelling enthusiast, says it has even become something of a Canadian industry over the last 20 years.
“There’s been a huge shift in storytelling,” he says. “More and more adults in particular are going to festivals and buying audiotapes.”
Annual festivals, held in cities such as Toronto, are now yielding crowds of up to 6,000 people. Storytelling is becoming what some adults call their profession.
“I think it’s because storytelling is so inexpensive,” explains Verger. “What’s a person need to be a teller? You can be in a wheelchair. You can be any race, any culture. I call it the soccer of the entertainment world. For soccer, you only need a ball and a net. The only thing you really need here is a voice and a memory.”
A good memory — retaining one book of Homer’s The Iliad could take about 18 hours of work.
It’s dedication like this, says Perth resident and retiree Don Sherwin, that impresses him and storytelling audiences.
“What a unique experience,” says Sherwin, a first-time listener. “I learned a lot about the Trojan War. It was definitely more intriguing and enthralling than I had expected. I could just see things and see myself being there with the characters, like I was part of the scene.”
That’s the whole point of telling stories to adults.
“Storytelling never was just for kids, but our culture tends to think of it as that,” she says. “That way of thinking is a tremendous waste of potential for grown-ups. We feel passionate about these stories and we want to share that with them.”